From regions to twelve states to thirty-six — a political map with cultural consequences.
Independence Nigeria was first organised as large regions. Military governments later split those regions into twelve states in 1967, then more, until the 1996 creations brought the familiar 36-state map plus the Federal Capital Territory.
Each new line on the map created a capital, a civil service, and a new stage for local identity. That is why Nigerian Heritage Collections tells the country state by state: the units people actually live in, cheer for, and miss when they are abroad.
